Chapter 46
"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."
― Helen Keller
It felt as though an eternity had passed until the Newtralizer creature finally disappeared from the window and moved back into the hallway, where the sounds of battle and screeching Kraang slowly but surely died away, until a silence fell upon them. The silence, whilst welcoming, was an uneasy one, and left the current occupants of the cell holding their breaths, waiting for the creature to return. But when it showed no signs of doing so, Donatello felt it was safe enough for him to focus on getting him and Mr. O'Neil out of this cell – again – without fear of being ripped to shreds and eaten.
That is unless, of course, the alien was still out there. Perhaps it was hiding in the shadows, biding its time until they came out, where it could pounce on them without warning and rip them apart –
No, no, not gonna think about that.
With a shake of his head, Donnie turned his thoughts back to the matter at hand. He had to get them out of this cell. Then they could retrace Donnie's steps to the control panel that'd brought him here, and then they could go back to the lair, reunite April with her father, regret ever having gone out on this crazy mission by himself, and live happily until the next crisis came their way, which knowing their luck, would be within the next week or so.
And all of this depended on whether or not Donnie could get his head around how to open this stupid door from the inside.
He licked his lips once, humming to himself as he tapped his chin and stared at the door. Okay. He was pretty sure he knew what to do; he'd messed around with Kraang tech enough to gain a basic outline of how they operated. Getting out should be no problem, right? It would only take a second…
However, though he would never admit as such aloud, Donnie wished Raph was here.
Raph didn't care about logic or reason when it came to machines; he just tore them apart and asked questions later, which usually aggravated Donnie to no end. But it made quick work of something that, in all honesty, would normally have taken Donnie too long to take care of during a mission, when time was of the essence. And now, trapped behind a wall stronger than steel, Raphael's impetuous nature combined with his brute strength would've come in handy –
Kirby tapped Donnie on the shoulder, snapping the turtle out of his thoughts as he faced the older human. "Um, Donatello?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck as though he were scratching at a particularly irritating itch. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
Donnie blinked at him.
Hell no. I don't know what I'm doing.
"Of course!" Donnie beamed with a thumbs up, and Kirby smiled with a slight sigh of relief. "Don't you worry, I've had experience with all kinds of Kraang tech before, Mr. O'Neil; I'm practically an expert now!"
Outwardly, Donnie was cool, confident, knew precisely what he had to do and how to do it, like a good leader should. Inside, however, he was screaming.
God damn you, Donnie, you freaking little lying liar! Just admit it already; you don't know what the hell you're doing! The only thing you do know is that you've ditched your own team just so you could prove a point to Raph! You haven't had the foggiest idea of what to do since you got here! Everything that's happened until now was either a happy accident or pure dumb luck, and it's long since run out! Just tell Kirby the truth. Tell him you're stumped, you can't do this on your own, without your team – in fact, just call your team and tell them where you are! You need them, you know you do –
Donnie blocked out the voice of reason screeching like a rabid banshee in his head, and he turned back to the door, kneeling in front of it. He could do this. He knew he could. And when he did, the voice of reason could stick it.
"Okay," he said, more to himself than to Kirby, "If I jump the resistors –"
BOOM!
The door exploded before Donnie could act, chunks of metal flying everywhere as smoke filled the room, followed by a chorus of screams and grunts of pain. Covered in ash, a startled scientist backed up against the wall behind him, Donnie blinked hard. "– the door should open."
Well, apparently his so-called 'dumb luck' hadn't run out just yet.
The dust soon began to clear little by little, revealing those recovering from the sudden blast as they groaned and rubbed their bruising heads. Stepping out of the prison cell and into the hallway, Donnie stared down at their would-be saviors and gasped.
No way.
"Raph?!"
Struggling to sit up on his hands and knees, Raphael looked up, locked eyes with Donnie, and his once vexed expression morphed into something akin to shock and relief at the sight of his leader. "Donnie!" he cried, promptly scrambling to his feet.
Behind Raph, two more figures emerged from the dissipating cloud of smoke. One of them was the familiar beaming face of Michelangelo, the youngest turtle practically bouncing on his toes at the sight of Donnie still in one piece. The other figure –
"Leo?!" Donnie gawked.
Instead of replying to his flabbergasted brother, Leonardo instead turned his attention to the exhausted human standing beside Donnie, and he froze. "M-Mr. O'Neil," he stammered, suddenly looking quite pale and ridged under the man's curious gaze.
"Big beady-eyed-lizardy-thing with weapons!" Mikey cried in fear, pointing down the hallway.
They all followed his finger, and immediately regretted doing so when the Newtralizer leapt down from the ceiling with a mighty roar. And though he knew he should've been more afraid of the giant raging creature of murder and destruction in their midst, Donnie's shoulders slumped as he groaned irritably.
Why me? Why this? Why?
Slowly backing away, preparing to fight or flee – no, definitely flee –Kirby saw it fit to explain to Donnie's three brothers exactly what they were up against.
"Donatello calls it the Newtralizer," he said.
Well, not exactly much of an explanation, but it was good enough for now.
However, Mikey's eyes went wide at Kirby's words, and he rounded on Donnie. "…you named something without me?" he asked, his voice small and full of disbelief.
Donnie pinned his little brother with a flat look, and was moments away from voicing a snarky response, before the Newtralizer grew impatient and opened fire. With a new chorus of screams, the five of them retreated in the opposite direction of the alien psychopath, nearly tripping over their own feet as they turned a sharp corner. Knowing the human couldn't quite keep up with their speed, Mikey took hold of Kirby's hand, hauling him alongside and safely out of Newtralizer's range.
As they ran – the pathways suddenly growing more and more familiar to Donnie – the purple clad turtle turned to his oldest brother. "Hey, Leo, not that I'm complaining that you're here or anything, but – would you care to explain exactly why you're here?" he asked over the sounds of laser fire and alien screeching coming from behind. "Again, not that I'm complaining."
His eyes narrowing, Leo growled loudly before impaling Donnie with vehement glare that inwardly shook the lanky turtle.
"Because you decided it would be a good idea to rescue April's father and infiltrate a Kraang infested base by yourself, prompting Raphael and Michelangelo to follow after you, running into me, forcing me to come along and help find you, getting lost in this godforsaken maze, and then being attacked and now chased by an alien freak worse than the Kraang!" his older brother barked. "How's that for an explanation?!"
Both stunned and slightly terrified, Donnie swallowed thickly. "…uh…t-that's okay, for now," he stammered. "Yeah, that's fine, thanks. And also, I'm sorry."
"Ohohoho, you'd better be sorry!" Raph snapped, coming up on Donnie's other side to give him a hard shove. "Because if we survive this, we're gonna have a good, long chat about what you did, Donatello!"
"Does this 'chat' involve you using your fists to inflict bodily harm upon my person?"
"…y'know what, it just might, Donnie! It just freakin' might!"
"Can I participate?"
"Sure, go nuts."
"What the hell, Leo?! What did I do to you to make you mad at me today?!"
"I hate to interrupt, boys," Kirby called, gaining the attention of the three quarreling turtles as he jabbed the thumb of his free hand behind him, "but in case you've forgotten, we're still being chased by the Newtralizer!"
The boys blinked, looking past Kirby and spotting the enraged salamander creature still in pursuit of them despite the many twists and turn they'd taken in their plight.
"Oh yeah," Leo muttered.
"I almost forgot about him," Raph said, looking back up at Donnie. "Where were we again?"
Donnie hummed. "Ummm…running and screaming?"
"Ah, right."
With that, the screaming recommenced as they continued to run as fast as their legs could carry them, yellow beams of burning light barely missing their marks.
To their liberation, the door to the control room was just up ahead. The robot body of the droid Donnie had used to get inside was still there – though its head looked especially dented, as if it'd been used as a battering-ram. Donnie quickly grabbed it and pressed its face against the scanner, and the doors swished open, allowing the four mutants and the terrified human to spill into the room in a panicked heap. The doors slammed shut again the moment they entered, mere seconds before the Newtralizer could follow in after them.
Backing away from the door, Donnie allowed himself a sigh of relief. They were safe, for now. And better still, Donnie could find his way back to the base's entrance from here. With the Newtralizer barricaded, they should have no problems escaping before –
Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and Donnie turned to find Mikey glaring up at him, baby blue eyes narrowed, filled with pure and utter betrayal.
"You named something without me?" his little brother repeated accusingly.
Donnie made a face, exasperated.
Somehow, Donnie had single-handedly managed to get nearly all the members of his family ticked off with him; Raphael was mad at him for going off on his own to prove a point, Leonardo was mad at him for getting him indirectly involved in this mess, and Michelangelo was mad at him because he'd named a new villain without him.
It was a new record, even for Donnie. And it wasn't even noon yet.
Loud, thunderous pounding sounds resonated in his ears, and both he and Mikey turned to the door. The Newtralizer was still outside, trying to punch his way through the door, roaring in outrage. Donnie swallowed again, shivering. Once the monster was inside, they were all as good as dead.
"We've gotta get out of this prison!" Leo said, both swords already in hand should the beast succeed in getting through.
"Technically, it's a detention centre," Kirby offered helpfully, not noticing the way Mikey rolled his eyes or the tired look on Leo's face as he continued. "The difference being –"
Raph growled. "Not now, Donnie – oh."
He froze, staring up at Kirby, who raised a confused brow at him, whilst Mikey and Donnie winced through their teeth. Leo sent Raph a glare, shaking his head in disapproval.
Ducking his head sheepishly, Raph offered the older man an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Mr. O'Neil," he said. Kirby only smiled, waving him off as if to say 'no problem.' With that, Raph turned to Leo, expression as flat as a board. "Great," he droned. "Now there's two of them."
Leo sighed, slapping a hand over his eyes and letting it drag down his face in apparent despair. "Warum bin ich mit diesen Narren?"*
"FREAKING GERMAN?! YOU SPEAK GERMAN NOW, TOO?!" Raph practically screamed, making Leo jump back in fright and stare at Raph, eyes wide like a deer in the headlights. "How many languages can you speak?!"
Leo blinked. "…including Japanese and English? Six."
Raph threw his hands in the air. "That's it, I give up!"
On the side-lines, Donnie, Mikey and Kirby stared in bewilderment as Raph seemed to have some sort of mental breakdown. Donnie turned a questioning gaze to Mikey, pointing wordlessly at Raph, raising a brow.
Mikey only shrugged. "It's been going on for a while now. I'll fill you in later."
During their little spat, all had failed to notice the second door positioned behind them had been activated. Spinning on their heels, they were just in time to watch in growing horror as the door opened, revealing several Kraang droids armed to the teeth ploughing into the room, opening fire on the turtles with little heed of their former human captive.
With nowhere to go and nowhere left to hide, the four turtles met the multitude of Kraang head-on, blades clashing and slicing through metal, Mikey's whoops and dramatic war cries rebounding within the small space.
As they fought, all the while making sure Kirby was safely out of the Kraang's line of fire, Donnie noticed Leo in the corner of his eye, and he found himself staring.
When Raphael kicked out to the droid on the left, Leo was at his side in an instant, decimating the droid coming on the right before it could lay even a hand on the red clad turtle. Likewise with Mikey, his blades deflecting the blasts of their laser guns when the youngest turtle was too preoccupied or distracted to get out of the way in time. When he moved on, Mikey's eyes followed him, and a wide brilliant smile took over his freckled face that shone brighter than the sun.
Cocking his head to the side, Donnie's eyes widened. Leo fighting alongside them wasn't all that surprising; it wasn't the first time he'd aided them in battle, and knowing him and how often they bumped into each other, it surely wouldn't be the last. But this time, he was doing more than that. This time, he was –
"Behind you, Donnie!"
– protecting them.
Startled out of inner musings, Donnie let out a cry and ducked his head when Leo leapt over him, beheading the Kraang droid that'd been far too close for comfort. Turning to face his savior, Donnie smiled. "T-Thanks, Leo," he said breathlessly, still shaken from the fact he'd been seconds from losing his own head.
Leo nodded with a faint smile of his own, before diving back into the fray.
Donnie's smile never wavered, even as he swung his staff to violently bat away the next Kraang droid that came at him. Despite everything – his irritation of being dragged into this brawl, his fear of the Kraang, his fear of Shredder and the Foot, the memories of the past that plagued him and the grudge he held against his former clan – Leo was going out of his way to fight with them, protect them, help them escape the clutches of the Kraang, and reunite April with her father.
And he was doing so as if such a thing came naturally to him. As if…as if he were the same turtle he was twelve years ago, the brave big brother that shielded them from danger, from their nightmares, the monsters hiding in the dark…
In that moment, Donatello regained his resolve. His brother was helping them fight their way out of the mess that Donnie had made. So it was only right that Donnie did something to return the favor…even if it was a little crazy.
"Little help?!" Mikey cried, now backed into a corner with three Kraang blasters aimed for the kill. Leo was at his aid the next instant, leaving Donnie to carry out his plan as he sheathed his staff and approached the control panel.
"How about some big help?!" Donnie called, a new grin plastered across his features as he typed at the keyboard. Now, with his team at his side, he finally knew what he was doing.
Grunting as he stabbed through the last Kraang pinning Mikey to the wall, Leo rolled his eyes. "Not really the time to check your electronic mail, Donatello!" he scolded.
"You mean e-mail, bruh," Mikey offered, beaming up at his savior.
Rolling his eyes, Leo sighed. "Whatever."
Donnie ignored them both. "I'm guessing if they had the Newtralizer locked up," he said, "It wasn't because he was their friend!"
Slamming his hand down on the final key, the other doors slid open with a 'whoosh!'. The only Kraang unfortunate enough to be standing in front of that door was mercilessly grabbed by the head and tossed to the side as the Newtralizer stepped inside the room, amber eyes scanning the room as the battle between turtle and robot came to a grinding halt. The remaining Kraang turned to stare in apparent horror at the alien salamander standing in their midst.
"Apparently he likes smashing Kraang," Raph mused aloud.
On either side of him, Leo smiled impishly, and Mikey grinned. "Who doesn't?" they said in unison.
Then Mikey gasped in delight, pointing at Leo. "Dude, psychic!"
"Would you please stop?" droned Leo.
With a high-pitched whine, the Newtralizer raised his blasters and fired, not caring if he hit the turtles that screamed and darted out of the way. The four brothers huddled together underneath the control panel with Kirby for shelter, with Mikey grasping Donnie's shoulders and ducking behind his brothers' shell as lasers rained down upon the Kraang, taking them down one by one.
It was over in seconds. The remaining Kraang were gunned down by the angry alien newt, now left a sizzling pile of metal limbs.
After a short silence, the turtles and Kirby rose from their hiding place. "YEAH!" the boys cheered, fists punching the air with glee.
Then the Newtralizer pulled out larger weapon from a holster on his back, directing it at them.
"NO!" the boys screamed, eyes widened to saucers, mere seconds before the alien fired.
The room exploded with smoke and fire, doors torn off their mechanical hinges from the sheer force of the blast. Through the ashes, the turtles and Kirby quickly made their escape through the new hole in the wall, running down the hallways yet again.
"Seriously, what is wrong with this guy?!" Raph cried. "What does he want from us?!"
"If he's hungry, all he has to do is ask!" Mikey said. "We could all go out for gyoza or something!"
"Now is really not the time for that, Michelangelo!" Leo growled, his foul mood having returned in full as the pursuit resumed.
However, luck was once again on their side. Through all the chaos, the Newtralizer had, in effect, herded them like frightened sheep all the way back to the entrance of the base. The car and the forklift were still there, fully intact, ready to liberate them all from the wrath of the Newtralizer…that is, if they could figure out how to work the thing in time.
Once they reached the car, Raph hopped onto the hood, whilst Mikey and Leo led Kirby around the back, latching onto the support beams for dear life. "We've gotta access the control panel!" Donnie said, banging his fist against the thing in hopes that it would do whatever it had done the first time.
"Got it!" Raph said, raising his Sai to stab the thing into submission.
But his hand was stilled when Donnie caught his wrist. He glared at his leader, ready to voice his outrage, but stopped.
"Raph," Donnie said, his smile broad and kind and apologetic all at once. "I've got it."
Raph stared. His words were few, but his smile and the gleam in his eyes spoke volumes.
Thanks for coming for me. I can take it from here.
Raph cocked a brow. "Oh really?" he asked with a crooked smirk.
No problem, little brother. Does this mean we're good?
Laying his hand over Raph's, Donnie nodded. "Really."
You bet we are.
No other words, be they silent or unspoken, were needed for Raph's smirk to melt into a small but warm smile as he handed Donnie his Sai. Donnie raised the pronged weapon over his head, and brought it down with grunt, impaling the control panel. The device sparked once, at that was their only warning before the forklift shifted and lurched upwards, taking the car and its screaming passengers with it all the way back up to the surface.
When they reappeared inside the garage, the forklift flung the car and everyone on it into the air. The turtles landed squarely on their faces, with Kirby underneath Donatello, whilst the car landed at an angle. It tipped backwards, and would have crushed Donnie and Kirby had he not rolled them out of the way in time.
Heaving a shaky sigh of relief as they climbed to their feet, Donnie turned to Kirby with a smile. "Close one, huh?" In response, Kirby smiled back.
Finally, they'd made it out of the base. They'd rescued Mr. O'Neil, and they'd evaded both the Kraang and the Newtralizer. It looked as if it was finally over –
A vehement roar echoed from the tunnel below, followed by a streak of black and orange leaping forth, landing on the car behind Donnie and Kirby. Donnie froze.
Son of a…why do I even bother?!
The Newtralizer snarled as it glared down at them, and Donnie stood protectively in front of Kirby as they backed away, one hand reaching up for his Bo staff, ready to fight off the beast himself. But he quickly realized he didn't have to as Leo, Raph and Mikey gathered around them, their weapons unsheathed and poised to strike, forming a protective wall between Kirby, Donnie and the Newtralizer. Despite the impending danger, Donnie found himself smiling again.
That's right. I'm not alone this time. I have a team.
"Everyone, split up!" Leo ordered, his glare never leaving the creature standing above them. "Donnie, you get Mr. O'Neil out of here!"
At that, Donnie blinked once, his smile vanishing as he frowned at Leo. "Wait a second, who the heck died and made you leader?" he snapped.
"You will," Leo snapped right back, "if you don't move your shell."
The Newtralizer brandished his weapons, a pair of sharp, pendulum-like disks, and threw them at the turtles. The brothers barely managed to evade being sliced to pieces as they spread out, Leo, rap and Mikey flanking the beast on all sides. Despite his earlier gripe with having his leadership role temporarily taken from him – were the guys seriously that mad at him to elect a turtle from the Foot Clan as their leader instead? – Donnie did as he was instructed, dragging Kirby with him by the arm and taking shelter behind the row of cars by the wall, hopping onto the second level.
The sounds of battle raged behind them, clanging swords and laser fire rebounding off the brick walls of the old garage, and Donnie had to fight back the urge to leap into the fray and aid his brothers in this fight. He couldn't leave Kirby by himself; the man had little to no knowledge of self-defense – or if he did, he wouldn't last very long against something as strong as the Newtralizer. So Donnie stayed put.
Besides, he was confident the others would hold their own against the monster, especially now that they had Leo on their side as backup.
However, despite their efforts, it wasn't long before said monster sniffed them out, leaping over to where Donnie and Kirby were hidden with a low snarl.
Though his heart was pounding against his ribcage like a hammer against a nail, Donnie refused to move away from the defenseless human behind him, wide brown eyes locked solely on the Newtralizer. The thing was tracking their every move like a starving animal with an unquenchable thirst for blood, and Donnie was his prey.
He lunged for them, shoving their fort of cars out of the way with ease, four-fingered hands reaching out to grab them, to tear them apart.
"No!" Donnie cried, shoving Kirby out of the way. Newtralizer hit the brick wall where they'd been seconds earlier, angrily shaking his head before charging again like a rampaging bull, but this time Donnie was ready. Smoke bomb in hand, Donnie pitched it like a baseball, hitting Newtralizer square in the face as purple smoke filled the air, as did the creature's pained screech.
With little time to spare, Kirby and Donnie jumped back down to ground level, narrowly evading being squashed by a very irate alien newt, taking shelter behind a circle of oil barrels.
Peeking from behind their less than reliable sanctuary, Donnie saw that Mikey had finally drawn its attention away from them, blowing raspberries tauntingly at the alien before somersaulting out of the way. Newtralizer followed Mikey, climbing onto the third level of stacked cars where he came face to face with Leonardo and Raphael, eyes narrowed and gleaming weapons brandished.
"Shinjimae!" Leo growled to their opponent, not caring if he'd been understood by his foe or not.
However, Raph literally beamed. "Finally, a language I can understand!"
Leo stared at him. "Kono yarou."
"I'm a what?!"
Whatever insults the two could've thrown at each other next were soon put on hold when the Newtralizer pounced. From their temporary hiding place, Donnie watched his older brothers fight the creature, working as one like a finely tuned machine.
He'd become so engrossed in their battle that he barely noticed Mikey scaling the levels of parked cars with little effort, until the orange of his mask caught the corner of his eye. Tearing his eyes away from the battle, Donnie watched as Mikey, apparently struck with an idea, tugged open the door of a large black van and climbed in, shutting the door behind him. It was too dark to see what he was doing inside, but the car came to life in seconds, the headlights flashing as the engine revved loudly.
Donnie's jaw dropped. Mikey had just hot-wired the car. He'd had no idea the little orange fiend could do that. What else could he do that his family weren't aware of? Better yet, what had he already done that his family weren't aware of?
"Oh no!" Kirby gasped, pointing over to where Leo and Raph had been all but thrown down to the ground floor, groaning in pain, their lips busted and their noses dripping with blood. The Newtralizer jumped after them, landing mere inches away with the guns on his wrist raised, preparing to finish them off.
His heart in his throat, Donnie stood and growled like a dog, Bo staff already in hand, ready to race to his brother's aid, Leo's orders be damned.
"BOOYAKASHAAA!"
Those below him barely had time to look up before Mikey, not a moment too soon, hit the gas on the van and drove straight over the edge of its platform.
"CRAP!" Leo and Raph screeched, scurrying out of the way as he van descended, landing directly atop the unsuspecting Newtralizer with a shuddering crash, dust and shards of glass flying in every direction. For a moment, a deafening silence fell upon them as they stared at the van from a safe distance. Nothing moved, not from under the van…or inside it.
"MIKEY!" Raph cried, sheathing his Sais and scrambling to his feet as he ran towards the van, panic coating every inch of his features. Leo wasn't far behind, nor was Donnie as they gathered around what remained of the van. Icy tendrils of fear locked around Donnie's heart and squeezed as the seconds ticked by with no sign of his little brother. God, what was Mikey thinking, pulling a stunt like that? If he was hurt – if he was dead –
A grinning, freckled green face poked out from the driver's window. "Don't worry, I wore my seat-belt!" Mikey chimed, and the breaths no one had realized they'd been holding were released in a chorus of relieved sighs. Leo, on the other hand, just smiled tiredly and shook his head with a faint but somewhat fond smile.
He was alright. He had a bruise on his forehead and his nose was lightly dripping with blood, but he was fine. Thank goodness.
Chuckling, Raph couldn't get his hands on the kid fast enough as he pulled Mikey out of the wrecked vehicle by the arms and stood him up, rubbing the dome of his head with a rough fondness only Raph was capable of. "C'mon," he grinned, draping an arm around Mikey's shoulders as they, with a smiling Kirby in tow, headed towards the garage door. Stepping outside, fresh air a most blessed thing after hours spent underground, Donnie pulled the door back down, setting the lock back into place.
'Now,' Donnie could safely muse as he grinned wide with relief, 'it's finally over.'
It was too risky for them to remain on the streets; by now, the city was crawling with humans, and four giant turtles gathered around a lone human man would certainly attract too much unwanted attention. So the brothers quickly took to the rooftops instead, with Raph carrying Kirby on the back of his shell, until they were a safe distance away from the Kraang base and high enough to avoid being spotted by the pedestrians below. But then again, this was New York; no one ever bothered to look up.
Dusting off his hands in satisfaction, Donnie turned to face his team. "Well," he began, planting his hands on his hips. "That was fun."
Letting Kirby slide off his shell and onto the asphalt, Raph smirked. "Define 'fun'," he said dryly, folding his arms over his chest. "Seriously though, that was insane. I can't believe we actually managed to make it outta there by the skin of our shells."
"I can!" Mikey piped up, raising his hand enthusiastically, earning a soft chuckle from Kirby. "We totally aced that mission, dudes! And we couldn't've done it without Leo!"
Not expecting to be addressed at all, Leo blinked rapidly in surprise at Mikey. "What? What did I do?"
"Aw, don't be modest, Leo! You're the one who lead us to the base when Raph and I got lost," Mikey explained enthusiastically. "You also helped us find Donnie and Mr. O'Neil, helped us fight off the Kraang, and helped us fight off that Newtralizer thingy! And you didn't crack under pressure the whole time, even when we were driving you up-the-wall-crazy! Dude, you were amazeballs!"
Whilst Leo stared at Mikey as though he were trying to comprehend the meaning of life and ultimately failing, Raph casually bumped his elbow against Leo's arm. "I hate to admit it, but, he's right."
When Leo turned his confused gaze on him, Raph only shrugged with a half-smile. "We wouldn't have gotten far if you hadn't decided to help out. So, thanks Leo."
His shock melting away, Leo raised a brow at Raph. "Actually, you guilt tripped me into helping you," he said as-a-matter-of-factly.
Again, Raph shrugged. "True. But still, you could've just flipped the bird, said 'screw you guys I'm out', and left us in the dust."
"Language!" Kirby scolded sharply – most likely out of reflex – making the turtles jump, startled.
Raph bowed his head. "Sorry, Mr. O'Neil."
Closing his eyes, Leo sighed for the umpteenth time. "True. But I didn't," he said.
"And why is that, exactly?" Donnie probed as he stepped forward, arms folded over his chest. "You didn't exactly answer my question back there. So why did you decide to go out of your way to help us this time?"
For a moment, Leo said nothing. Then, lifting his head up and opening his eyes to lock with Donnie's calculating brown pair, he said with absolute assurance "Because April is my friend. And there's nothing I wouldn't do for my friends. Even if…even if it means that I end up with the sharp end of a certain blade at my throat. She's done so much for me in the short time we've known each other, so it's only right that I repay her."
Then Leo smiled. It was still small, it still didn't quite reach his eyes, but it was there, and it was genuine, and Donnie wasn't sure what to do with himself in the face of it.
"And…I figured," Leo shrugged, "that if it were me, going out on a crazy solo-mission…you would've done the same." He glanced over at Mikey and Raph, extending his smile to them, before turning back to face Donnie. "You – any of you – wouldn't have just left me to get myself killed. I believe that now, even though it took me a really long time to truly accept it."
Donnie stared at Leo, mouth agape. Beside him, Mikey and Raph were no different, though Donnie swore he could see Mikey's eyes shine with unshed tears. Kirby, of course, had no idea of what Leo meant, nor had he any idea of what the four of them had been through to get to where they were now – the pain, heartbreak, the blood and tears – but his bearded smile was warm all the same.
For what felt like the longest time, Donnie wasn't sure what to do, what to say, what to think. Leo hadn't done this just for April; he'd done it for Donnie, for all of them, even though only months ago he wanted them dead –
And then Donnie was moving, so fast it made his own head spin, and he gathered Leo into his arms, holding him tight enough to hurt and ignoring the way Leo once again went stiff against his chest. There was a lump in Donnie's throat, but he quickly forced it down; he wasn't going to cry, he freaking wasn't, not now.
"T-Thanks, Leo," he said above a whisper, not quite trusting his voice not to crack. "And you're right. We would never leave you, never again."
Had he been paying attention, Donnie would've noticed the way Leo's hands clenched into tight, shaking fists, as if he too were fighting for control. Instead, he only heard him sigh. "You guys need to stop hugging me," he muttered against Donnie's shoulder, his own body relaxing in Donnie's arms. "You know I don't like it."
"Put up with it, you dummy," Raph said, not unkindly, slinging an arm around Mikey's shoulders when fat tears of happiness began to roll down his little brother's cheeks. With a sniff, Mikey quickly wiped them away, and Raph gave his arm a reassuring squeeze.
After a moment, Donnie reluctantly let Leo go, stepping away from the blue clad turtle and scrubbing his face with the back of his hand though his cheeks were dry. Then he, along with the rest of his team, bowed to Leo. "We can't thank you enough for your help, Leo," he said. "Really. Without you, I'm not sure any of us would've gotten outta there."
Predictably, Leo was shocked at the gesture, for this was the first time they'd bowed to him, and he quickly shook his head. "Uh, no, no you don't have to do that," he said with a nervous laugh. "Seriously, I –"
"I agree with Donatello," said Kirby, stepping forward and placing a hand on Leo's shoulder. "It's thanks to you, and your courageous brothers, that I'm finally free from the Kraang. I can finally see my daughter again after what felt like a lifetime as a captive. So, as a father, I thank you. All of you."
Whilst Donnie, Mikey and Raph all beamed at Kirby's earnest praise, practically glowing with pride, Leo's eyes went wide before he averted them from Kirby in a manner akin to guilt rather than shock as he mumbled a 'you're welcome' to the bearded man as he released his shoulder. If anyone noticed the oddity of his actions, they said nothing.
"Alright!" Mikey crowed, spreading his arms out wide. "Mission Accomplished! This calls for a group hug, y'all! Bring it in!"
Eyes comically wide, Leo backed away immediately, and Donnie had to fight back a laugh. "Ah, rain check on that 'group hug', Michelangelo," Leo said. "In case you've all forgotten, it's daylight now; you can't be seen, and I can't be seen with you, so I believe it'll be best if went our separate ways."
At that, Mikey dropped his arms to his sides, his smile fading slightly. "Oh, right. Okay. We'll do the group hug thing later, then! Right?"
Despite himself, Leo chuckled softly. "I don't know about that, but yeah, I'm pretty sure we'll meet again soon," he said, his eyes turning soft and fond again. "Besides, I bet April's dying to see her father again; why keep her waiting any longer than she already has?"
With that, the four brothers bid their farewells –barely stopping Mikey from attaching himself to Leo like an octopus because "gosh darnit we can't keep doing this!" – and after carefully climbing down the stairs of the fire escape along the side of the building, the three Hamato turtles led Kirby towards the nearest manhole cover, inwardly stomping down the ache in their chests. No matter how many times they had to say 'goodbye', no matter how many times they were forced to return home without their older brother, it never hurt any less…
"Hey, Raphael!"
Moments before they could slip away into the sewers, they looked up and caught Leo looking down at them from the edge of the building, grinning widely with rare mischief. He then saluted them.
"Arrivederci!"
Raph's went wide for a moment, then he growled. "YOU FREAKIN' – WAIT 'TILL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!" he hollered, shaking his fist up at Leo, who only chuckled as he ducked out of sight, disappearing into the city.
Mikey and Donnie shared a glance. Then, they burst into laughter. Kirby only shook his head fondly, knowing full well the antics of teenagers.
Whatever had just happened, somehow, Leo had managed to take some of the sting of their parting away, and it was with lighter spirits that they climbed down into the sewers one by one, sliding the manhole cover shut after them, and made their way back to the lair to finally – finally – reunite April with her father.
In that moment, all was right with the world. All was well.
"So, Donnie," Raph said conversationally as they walked through the tunnels. "About that 'chat'…"
Donnie froze. "Raph, wait –"
"C'mere."
"No –"
"No, seriously, Donnie, c'mere –"
"Back the hell off, Raph –"
"No I'm not – c'mere, I'm not gonna hurt you, Donnie come on – YOU'D BETTER NOT FREAKING DO. THAT. AGAIN! FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE!"
"OW, OW, OW, STOP! AAH!"
"DONNIE I SWEAR TO GOD YOU DUMB PIECE OF CRUD YOU HAD ME WORRIED SICK –"
"STOP HITTING MEEEE!"
Leonardo said nothing to the Foot Soldiers he passed on his way to his rooms. When Xever saw him coming, his fanged smile quickly turned into a concerned, if not wary, frown as the turtle marched passed. His narrowed eyes barely left the floor as he walked slowly through the hallways of the lair, his fists clenched so tight he was surprised they weren't dripping with blood, staining the polished floors red.
Leo wanted to die. He wanted to crawl into his bed, pull the covers over his head, and disappear from existence, gladly allowing the darkness that haunted him to take him without a fight. He deserved it. He deserved to die.
He made it to his rooms without incident, opening the door and then viciously slamming it behind him once he was inside. His fists were trembling now, his hold on his rage quickly slipping as he stood there, frozen in front of the door, breaths hissing through clenched teeth. Soon, he would be too far gone to withhold his anger, and anything – or anyone – stood in his path would suffer by his blade. He should've gone to the dojo – no, he should've stayed in the city, far away from the only two people in this godforsaken hellhole that he cared about to release his anger before he hurt them. He should've…he should've told them –
A pair of small yet impossibly strong hands grabbed his shoulders, spun him around, and soon Leo found himself trapped in yet another embrace. Only this time, as he slowly blinked out of his haze, his tensed muscles relaxing little by little, he didn't try to push away. Instead, as she tightened her arms around his shoulders, he leaned into it. Still, he was far from truly returning to himself, his breaths still ragged, his hands still shaking –
"Easy, easy Leo. Easy," Karai said, her voice unusually soft and soothing as she held Leo closer. "Shh. It's okay."
Soon enough, safe in the arms of his sister, Leo stopped shaking, his breaths evened out, and he trusted himself enough to wrap his arms around Karai's waist to return the embrace. Burying his face into her shoulder, he fought back tears with every fibre of his being.
"I hate him," he whispered against her.
Karai nodded. "I know."
His breath hitching, Leo ground his teeth, digging his fingers into the fabric of her shirt. "I hate him. I hate him, I hate him I hate him I hate him –"
"Calm down Leo, take it easy," Karai warned, but didn't raise her voice, laying a hand against the back of his head and rubbing it soothingly. "I know. It'll be okay. It's okay…"
Despite his efforts, a steady stream of tears trickled its way down Leo's cheeks, soaking Karai's black t-shirt, but neither of them paid any heed.
"…Karai," Leo whimpered. "…what have I done?"
*Why am I stuck with these fools?
*Drop dead!/You blighter.
A/N:Oh man...
We're getting closer guys! Closer to the first finale! And darn things are heating up! I hope you enjoyed that, and if anyone wants to correct my language please feel free to do so! Don't forget to comment, and more are on the way!
Also, did you guys think I was gonna make Leo betray Mikey again? XD
Next Chapter: Kirby and April are reunited, Donnie is given a good talking-to as well as a good old fashioned awkward apology from Raph, Mikey's hopes have soared to the heavens, and Leonardo...is suffering.